Senior Local Recruitment Manager

Closing Date of Applications – 30th June 2025

Our Story

Manchester City is an English Premier League club whose roots began in East Manchester. From its first incarnation as St Mark’s West Gorton in 1880, the club became Manchester City FC in 1894. Behind each title lies emotion, moments and memories that resonate with millions of supporters around the world. Manchester City fans are known for their commitment and togetherness, as a Club that fights to the end.

Our Winning Team

MCFC is built on a vision for sustainability, with an academy structure designed to support long-term first team success, to engagement with the communities in which we reside. Together with our passionate fans and valued network of partners, we are developing Manchester City’s future history.

The Senior Local Recruitment Manager is responsible for leading and managing the recruitment team to identify, attract, and recruit top football talent, while implementing policies and procedures to ensure a high standard of talent acquisition and development.

This is Your City

As part of our team, you will be entitled to 26 days annual leave plus an additional day off for your birthday, private healthcare and a simply health cash plan, an annual discretionary bonus, plus a range of partnership and lifestyle discounts.

Your Impact

1. Leadership and Management: Oversee and manage a team including the local recruitment coordinator, and Inclusive Recruitment Manager to ensure efficient recruitment operations whilst building positive relationships with wider stakeholders internally. Support the professional development of the recruitment team, providing mentorship and training to enhance performance and recruitment effectiveness.
2. Talent Identification: Lead efforts to identify, attract, and recruit the best football talent across various age groups, ensuring alignment with academy objectives and performance standards. Understanding the needs within the Academy / CFG to ensure we are recruiting the right players for the future of the Academy / Club.
3. Strategic Planning: Develop and execute a strategic recruitment plan to build a competitive and sustainable talent pipeline for the academy in line with the Academy philosophy/playing style and within the Academy resources available, all centred around providing a best-in-class experience for the players and their families.
4. Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with local clubs, coaches, agents, and football networks to gain access to emerging talent, and internally with the Academy Management Team, Wider Talent Management team, our casual population, scouting team, Academy Ambassador and Director of Recruitment.
5. Policy and Procedure Implementation: Develop, implement, and ensure adherence to recruitment policies, processes, and best practices to maintain high standards and compliance with academy guidelines.
6. Scouting and Talent Evaluation: Oversee scouting operations, including match-day protocol, player assessments, and reporting, ensuring consistent quality in talent identification. Applying Talent ID practice to inform decision-making and support assessments of players (with the input from the multi-disciplinary team).
7. Reporting and Analysis: Regularly report recruitment activities and outcomes to the Head of Junior Academy & AMT; presenting development plans and providing data-driven insights to inform strategic decisions.

What we are looking for

Essential

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a football academy environment.
• Proven ability to recruit top talent.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong relationship.
• An understanding of young performers and the specific challenges of working with developing athletes.
• A verifiable record of working with a multi-disciplinary team of staff.
• A thorough understanding of the operational needs of academy players and teams.
• A strong understanding of the wider operational demands of the academy.
• Ability and willingness to be flexible and work irregular and unsociable hours as required, including work outside normal office hours, evenings and Bank Holidays.

Desirable

• Understanding of the academy football context and relevant guidelines such as EPPP (Elite Player Performance Plan from the Premier League).
• An understanding of the Teamworks communication platform.
• An understanding of the high-performance sport environment.

City Football Group promotes equal opportunities in employment and we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We will screen all applicants and select candidates whose skills and experience seem to meet our needs. We will carefully consider your application during the initial screening and will contact you only if you are selected for an interview. 

Employment is subject to the provision of proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

Due to our safeguarding promise, all UK based CFG roles will be subject to a DBS check upon commencing employment with us. This will be either a basic, standard or enhanced check depending on the job role and responsibilities.